With Central Zone securing the all-important first-innings lead on day three, the game was already all but decided. But a top-order slide from Central would have given North Zone more than a glimmer of hope. However, Mahesh Rawat, with some help from Nos. 8 and 9 Karn Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav, carried Central to 312 and safety.

Rawat scored his tenth first-class century to arrest a collapse by which Central fell to 95 for 6; Faiz Fazal and Ashok Menaria were taken out for ducks, and Jalaj Saxena and Robin Bist for 2 apiece. Then Rawat built stands of 98 with Karn and 103 with Kuldeep, and the contest was truly over.

North had to bat out a few overs before the day was done, and they sent in bowling allrounders Parvez Rasool and Yuzvendra Chahal to open - a move that demonstrated how insignificant play had become.

Central will face South Zone in the tournament final in Delhi, from October 29.